By Paul Guzzo, University Communications and Marketing
As the 国产短视频 kicks off the 2025鈥�26 academic year, students, faculty and staff will find a no shortage of new programs, services and experiences.
From a reimagined dining experience and expanded mental health resources to the debut of women鈥檚 beach volleyball and cutting-edge academic programs, 国产短视频is ushering in a year marked by innovation, student engagement and bold moves across academics, wellness and campus life.
Explore the highlights and see what鈥檚 new this year.
Campus Life
New bookstore offerings
Show off your Bulls pride by donning gear sold at the 国产短视频Bookstore. New brands being offered this fall include LaFavre, Cameron J. and Lululemon. The store will also boast new products by Pro Standard, Horn Legend, Hype and Vice, Peter Millar, Adidas and Branded Bills.
Dining halls
Chartwells Higher Education, part of Compass Group, is USF鈥檚 new on-campus dining provider under the name 国产短视频Dining. Chartwells offers wellness-forward, from-scratch cooking, a focus on global cuisine, and support for every dietary need -- from vegan and vegetarian to top-nine allergen-free.
Favorites such as Chick-fil-A, Panera, Flip Kitchen, Subway, Starbucks, Panda Express, Moe鈥檚 Southwest Grill, Papa John鈥檚, Blenz Bowls, Naga Tea and Kahwa Coffee will remain.
Additions include:
Students enjoy their meals at The Hub [Photo courtesy of MaryMor Photography]
- Evolution Kitchen and Bay Features, highlighting Bay Area culinary traditions
- Mobile ordering and real-time menu updates for fast, tech-enabled service
- A strong commitment to wellness, sustainability and Florida-sourced ingredients
The Hub, Juniper, and the Nest also now feature extensive salad bars, enhanced grill offerings, and a refreshed look. Each dining hall offers a Pure Eats allergy friendly station, while Juniper Dining Hall offers a dedicated Halal-friendly station.
国产短视频has replaced Local Restaurant Row on the Tampa and St. Petersburg campuses with Bay Features - showcasing local restaurants Jerk Hut, Wing Boyz and Blackjack Pizza.
At Sarasota-Manatee campus, new dining concepts include Evolution Kitchen, Ghost Kitchen, and Market Go.
Sustainability partnership
St. Petersburg campus charging station [Photo courtesy of Sarah Sell, University Communications and Marketing]
The 国产短视频St. Petersburg campus is advancing its commitment to sustainability through , which is funding several eco-friendly initiatives. These include the installation of four electric vehicle fast-charging stations and 32 new recycling bins in residence halls.
Beyond infrastructure, Duke Energy is also supporting environmental education by investing in the Oceanography Camp Especially for Girls, a long-running marine science program for rising ninth graders.
Together, these efforts aim to reduce the campus鈥檚 environmental footprint while empowering students to lead in clean energy and conservation.
Athletics
Men鈥檚 basketball 鈥� new head coach
国产短视频men's basketball coach Bryan Hodgson [Photo courtesy of 国产短视频Athletics]
s the program鈥檚 12th head coach. He brings 18 years of collegiate coaching experience and comes from Arkansas State, where he led the team to consecutive 20-win seasons and its first postseason appearance since 1999. He was also a finalist for the Joe B. Hall Award, recognizing the nation鈥檚 top first-year head coach.
Athletics dining
Levy, a leader in sports and entertainment hospitality, will now manage food and beverage services at 国产短视频athletic venues. At Champion鈥檚 Choice 鈥� the student-athlete dining hall 鈥� Levy chefs will collaborate with 国产短视频nutritionists to craft high-performance menus inspired by diverse global cuisines.
Levy will also elevate the fan experience at the Yuengling Center and other venues with:
Women's beach vollyball [Photo courtesy of 国产短视频Athletics]
- New signature menu items spotlighting local Tampa flavors
- Additional checkout points to increase speed and access
国产短视频beach volleyball
Added to USF鈥檚 catalog of athletic programs in 2023, the 国产短视频beach volleyball team will kick off its inaugural season this spring. The team is led by head coach Pri Piantadosi-Lima, who was named the 2022 USAV Female Junior Coach of the Year during her tenure as head coach of the USAV Beach National Team Development Program. The Bulls will compete in Conference USA.
Academics & Research
New programs and certificates
Student security analysts for Cyber Florida鈥檚 Security Operations Center at USF [Photo by Cassidy Delamarter, University Communications and Marketing]
The Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing will officially open, welcoming its first batch of students.
It鈥檚 the first of its kind in Florida and one of the pioneers in the nation to bring together the disciplines of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and computing into a dedicated college.
It aims to position Florida as a global leader and economic engine in AI, cybersecurity, and computing education and research by fostering interdisciplinary innovation and ethical technology development through strong industry and government partnerships.
This year, the college begins offering bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees in artificial intelligence, plus a graduate certificate in 鈥淎I and Everyday Impact.鈥�
Also, Vinik Sport and Entertainment Management Program and the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management have officially merged to form the new School of Hospitality and Sport Management. This strategic move unites the strengths of both programs to enhance academic offerings, expand research opportunities, and better prepare students for dynamic careers in sport, entertainment, hospitality, and tourism.
USF's aerospace engineering bachelor's program has launched [Photo courtesy of the College of Engineering]
Other new programs and certificates include:
- Bachelor of Science degrees in aerospace engineering through the College of Engineering; exercise science and kinesiology through the College of Education; health and nutrition science, plus health and physical rehabilitation science through the College of Public Health; and design through the College of Design, Art & Performance.
- Master of Science degree in FinTech through the Muma College of Business.
- Graduate certificates in AI and Teaching and Learning through the College of Education and Applied Lifestyle Medicine Health Coaching through the College of Public Health.
Levi Thompson [Photo courtesy of the College of Engineering]
New dean of the College of Engineering
A distinguished researcher and academic leader, Levi Thompson previously served as dean at the University of Delaware and was a long-time faculty member at the University of Michigan. At USF, he will oversee faculty recruitment and retention, advance research and teaching initiatives and cultivate relationships with alumni, donors and advisory boards.
Digital collection milestone
国产短视频Libraries Digital Collections have added a record-breaking 92,000 items.
Notable additions include the Searchable Ornithological Research Archive, which moved to 国产短视频from the University of New Mexico, a large part of the Florida restaurant menu archive, oral histories about the Tampa Theatre and 10,000 historic photographs of the Tampa Bay region from the Gandy Collection of Commercial and Aerial Photography.
Herbarium relocation
A student conducts research at the 国产短视频Herbarium [Photo courtesy of 国产短视频Libraries]
The 国产短视频Herbarium, home to more than 270,000 specimens of plants and algae, has completed its move from the College of Arts and Sciences to the 国产短视频Libraries building and is now again open to students and researchers. Established in 1958, the Herbarium is one of the largest in the U.S. and the second largest in Florida.
Health & Safety
Police dogs
The University Police Department expanded its force with the addition of two explosives detection dogs and a narcotics detection dog, replacing K9 Krege, who passed away in March.
Working Bulls Sick Clinic
The Student Health and Wellness Center has launched the Working Bulls Sick Clinic, providing acute care to faculty, staff and affiliated campus partners. The clinic is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and offers walk-in care for minor ailments such as fevers, sore throats, UTIs, and injuries, as well as seasonal vaccines.
Peer-to-peer mental health platform
The peer-to-peer online platform, TimelyCare, will continue to be available to students. It鈥檚 a 24/7 virtual mental health platform that also offers on-demand video therapy with licensed professionals, as well as access to health, nutrition and success coaches. 国产短视频phased out Togetherall due to overlap between the two platforms.
Wellness Week
From Oct. 27鈥�31, multiple departments 鈥� including the Student Health and Wellness Center, Campus Recreation and Wellness, the Center for Student Well-Being, the Counseling Center and the Center for Victim Advocacy & Violence Prevention 鈥� will team up for the first Tampa campus Wellness Week. Activities will focus on mental, physical and sexual health, and include nature walks, yoga, time with emotional support animals and Halloween-themed events.
A new mural outside the Bookstore Caf茅 [Photo by Paul Guzzo, University Communications and Marketing]
Free hearing screening
The Student Health and Wellness Center will partner with 国产短视频Speech-Language and Audiology Clinics to host its first free hearing screening clinic for faculty and staff on Aug. 27, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Student Engagement
New murals
Four new USF-themed murals now decorate the campus 鈥� and this time, the university turned to its own student-artists for the work. Eva Davis designed the mural at the Argos Center; Anne Nobrega鈥檚 art appears on both the Bookstore Caf茅 and Juniper Hall; and Teo Tavares鈥� mural brightens the vending machine area in the Student Services Building.
The First 56 Days
To commemorate the 70th anniversary of USF鈥檚 establishment in 1956, New Student Connections is reviving its student engagement campaign under the new title, the 鈥淔irst 56.鈥�
Rocky shows off the First 56鈥� bottle tracker [Photo courtesy of New Student Connections]
Research shows that students who connect and engage with a university during their first six weeks on campus are more likely to persist through their first year and progress to graduation. The program provides information, experiences, events, services and expectations for students to effectively transition through the first 56 days of the semester.
Events begin Aug. 21 with the annual Week of Welcome kick-off and balloon drop 鈥� which will have a glow-themed celebration at the Marshall Student Center. Events will continue through Oct. 16. Students can track their experiences along the way by collecting stickers on a commemorative 鈥淔irst 56鈥� bottle tracker. For more information, visit usf.edu/first56.